Community Nurses

Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to change the car mileage allowance payable to community nurses working in the NHS. [18366]

Mr. Byrne:
It is the responsibility of the NHS Staff Council to set these rates. A copy of the complete agenda for change terms and conditions of service handbook, which sets out the new pay structure and additional terms is available in the Library.

Consultants

Andrew Rosindell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many senior hospital consultants have taken early retirement since 2001. [19379]

Mr. Byrne:
The number of early retirements under the national health service pension scheme for consultants in England and Wales is shown in the table. It is not possible to identify senior consultants separately. The data represents early retirements effective during 2001 to 2006.

Total consultant early pension awards

2000

12

2001

44

2002

151

2003

145

2004

135

2005

120

2006

72

31 Oct 2005 : Column 834W

Countess of Chester Hospital

Ian Lucas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients from Wales were treated at the Countess of Chester hospital in the last three years for which records are available. [18535]

Mr. Byrne:
This is a matter for the Chair of the Countess of Chester Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust. I have written to Jim Sharples informing him of your enquiry. He will reply shortly and a letter will be placed in the Library.

Diet

Tim Loughton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school children who regularly have (i) school meals and (ii) packed lunches. [19003]

Jacqui Smith:
I have been asked to reply.

Information on pupils regularly having school meals or packed lunches is not collected centrally.

The Government have launched a national audit of school food provision in order to assess the progress that is already being made by local authorities and schools. The national audit, which began on 17 October, will cover issues such as how much is being spent on school meals ingredients, how they are provided, whether children get hot or cold meals and the percentage of pupils currently buying school meals.

Digital Hearing Aids

Paul Farrelly:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to the NHS is of (a) a digital hearing aid, (b) the fitting of a digital hearing aid and (c) assessment for a digital hearing aid. [18543]

Mr. Byrne:
The average cost to the national health service of purchasing a digital hearing aid is £88.40 in 200405.

There is currently no central data collection on the average cost of the fitting of, or assessment for, digital hearing aids as this service is currently excluded from the annual reference costs collection.

Direct Payments (Social Care)

Mr. Baron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to expand the use of direct payments in social care services. [20421]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 21 October 2005]: We have taken a number of steps to expand the use of direct payments. We have changed the law so it is now a duty on local councils to make direct payments, not just a power. We also introduced the direct payments development fund, which is £9 million over three years, to encourage investment in direct payments support services. In addition, we have strengthened the performance indicator to monitor the take-up of direct payments in each local council.

We have produced a range of user-friendly information which councils should supplement with locally appropriate information.

31 Oct 2005 : Column 835W

We have also consulted in our recent Green Paper, Independence, Well-being and Choice", on ways to extend the benefits of direct payments to those currently excluded, by using an agent for those without the capacity to consent, or unable to manage even with assistance.

We have acknowledged that our ability to increase the number of people using direct payments is limited by the barriers some people experience taking them up. Some people find that the responsibilities that come with having a direct payment are too much for them. We are piloting the introduction of individual budgets for those with assessed social care needs which will include looking at how those who receive services can be supported.

Doctor Training

Anne Milton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) senior house officer posts there are in England and (b) how many were filled by non-UK trained doctors in each year since 1997. [17715]

Mr. Byrne:
Information on the number of medically qualified senior house officer (SHO) and equivalent posts in the United Kingdom is not collected centrally.

Information on the number of medically qualified SHO and equivalents in England and the number who qualified outside the United Kingdom since 1997 is shown in the table.

Number of medically qualified SHOs and equivalents(41) in England and number of SHO and equivalents who qualified outside the UK

Number (headcount)

Medically qualified SHOs and equivalents in England

Medically qualified SHOs and equivalents who qualified outside the UK

1997

14,580

5,722

1998

14,774

5,592

1999

14,812

5,335

2000

15,081

5,216

2001

15,409

5,422

2002

16,685

6,281

2003

18,212

7,727

2004

20,094

9,362

(41) Excludes all staff with a dental specialty. Information about country of qualification is derived from the General Medical Council.
Source:
National Health Service Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental workforce census.

Endometriosis

Keith Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many women were diagnosed with endometriosis in the last year for which figures are available; [19371]

(2) what steps the Government have taken to support patients with endometriosis; [19372]

(3) if she will commission research into early diagnosis of endometriosis. [19373]

31 Oct 2005 : Column 836W

Mr. Byrne:
Information on women diagnosed with endometriosis is not available in the form requested. In 200304, the number of finished consultant episodes 1 (FCEs) in national health service hospitals in England where the primary diagnosis was endometriosis (ICD10 code N80) was 16,350 2 .

The Department of Health supports the two main voluntary organisations in the field, the National Endometriosis Society and Endometriosis SHE Trust, by providing funding towards central administrative costs and for specific projects.

The Government fund medical and health research in a number of different ways. The main agency through which the Government fund medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body, which receives its grant-in-aid from the Office of Science and Technology, part of the Department of Trade and Industry. In 200203, the MRC spent £1 million on endometriosis and the general physiology of the endometrium.

1 A FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.

2 Source:
Hospital episode statistics, Department of Health.

Foundation Hospitals

Mr. Austin Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she expects all hospitals to become foundation hospitals. [17930]

Mr. Byrne:
The Government are committed to ensuring that all acute hospital trusts are in a position to apply for foundation status.

General Medical Services Contract

Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the new Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) as part of the review of the General Medical Services contract; and what progress has been made in the review of QOF so far. [18360]

Mr. Byrne:
NHS Employers are responsible for reviewing the general medical services contract with the British Medical Association's general practitioners' committee. Negotiations are in progress and negotiators have confirmed some changes will be made to the Quality and Outcomes Framework from April 2006.